Ever been dropped into a troubled project that’s already gone off the rails? Welcome to life as “The Wolf.” Inspired by the fixer from Pulp Fiction, Kim and Kate revisit one of our most popular episodes—now a PMI Global talk! —and break down how to step in, take charge, and rescue a broken project without losing your cool.

Kim shares his new 3-part formula for project recovery:

• People first – You aren’t just fixing a plan, you’re fixing an organization.

• Calm – Calm is contagious, and you can only control yourself.

• Clarity & Courage – Seek out misalignment, bring truth to light, and have the guts to ask, “Does this project still make sense?”

Of course, Kate keeps Kim honest, adding the perspective (and laughs) that make the tough lessons go down easy.

If you’ve ever been handed a project that feels unsalvageable, this episode is your playbook.

👉 Want even more? Join us at pmhappyhour.com/membership to get PDU certificates for episodes, downloadable templates, access to our PM community, and 1:1 time with Kim and Kate.

Why bother with risk management when you can just deal with problems as they happen? In this episode, Kim and Kate dig into the heart of that question—and the answer might just save your future self a world of pain.

You’ll hear:

• Hard-hitting stats: 1 in 6 projects go 200% over budget (Harvard Business Review), 17% of major IT projects threaten company survival (McKinsey), and why 69% of projects don’t succeed.

• Firefighting vs. fire prevention: why controlled burns (boring, thankless prep) prevent disasters while the “heroes” just put out fires.

• ROI of risk management: the surprising 20:1 return on time spent planning versus cleaning up issues later.

• Language hacks: how swapping “risks” for “obstacles” (credit to Dr. Josh Ramirez) can get your team—and executives—on board.

• Practical techniques: from whiteboarding failure points to slicing your project into risk categories, simple ways to start risk management without drowning in templates.

Whether you’re a seasoned PM or just tired of project disasters, this episode shows why risk management isn’t about doom and gloom—it’s about giving future you a fighting chance.

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Please. Let it end. PLEASE!
A defining characteristic of a project is that it ends. Finally. Just finish it, right? If it were only that easy!

In another Top Shelf Replay, Kate and Kim revisit one of their classic past episodes, “The Closer.” We play highlights from the original Closer episode as they talk about how to build up to a crisp conclusion to your project, making it a win for everyone. Then, Kate and Kim talk through their revised perspectives and learnings since the original airing of the Closer - and some of their hard learned lessons since then!

JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!

Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership